Ah, yes. Valentine’s Day. The day when the scent of love invades our senses (even to the point of trespassing) and dazes our heads. Regardless of what your personal opinion towards the thing is, we can’t deny that the 14th of February is becoming a bigger and bigger mark on our calendars. All that it’s been doing for the last decades is receive more media exposure, more people accepting to celebrate it and, by extension, more people to boost the sales of every florist who sells roses. I dare say that all of those gifts we associate with the big day of some dude named Valentine, have become more or less an obligation. So, unless you want to sleep for the next week on the welcome carpet at the entrance, you better prepare for The Hunger Games of emptying shelves in your local supermarket’s chocolate aisle. Still, there is nothing that says the three magic words (food is ready) quite like the ever so mysterious and romantic rose. But, like most things that seem beautiful and harmless, your Valentine’s Day bouquet has a baggage of 5 Strange Truths About Your Valentine’s Day Roses that most florists have to face on a regular basis.

1. The Holiday Of Secret Affairs

Florists have pretty much seen it all. When cheating is involved (how romantic), opting to order your two (or more if you’re greedy and just that much of a horrible person) bouquets online seems like a bit of a dangerous idea. So, most of these people need to actually move and come face to face with the florists, then let all of the secrets pour. After all, it’s not like they have anyone to share them with, aside from websites and other publication platforms visited by thousands of people.

Either way, flowers have become a traditional method of either mending, either breaking a relationship. More than once, according to an interviewed florist, flower shops are visited by people who will even go as far as to purposely ruin the day of their exes. Some ordered withered flowers to be delivered to them or, even crazier, someone asked if the pretty rose bouquet could be sent off with a nice dose of bees to the side too.

2. Why Roses Are Expensive

I’m not up to date with the whereabouts of the flower growing world, but I do know that I’ve always been aware of one thing: roses are just expensive as heck. But what is the reason for that? Surely there have to be flowers that are considerably superior in aesthetic, scent and longevity, right? Surprisingly, the price has nothing to do with any of those, but it’s rather a typical effect of the supply-demand curve. We grew to associate roses with Valentine’s Day, so we will go buy roses. Flower shops take advantage of that and, boom, we get astronomical prices every time we decide to spoil our other halves with at least one rose.

So, it’s simply business. Many people don’t seem to understand that, though, and they pointlessly feel infuriated whenever they learn of the price attached to a bouquet of roses. But when florists try to convince them that any other flower would send the message across just as well, they huff and puff and desperately cling to the mass produced flower that’s economically bound to be the most expensive. You just can’t win.

3. Why Roses Actually Suck

But why all this fuss around roses? They are, statistically and practically, the most difficult kind of flower. The first sign that you should turn around and buy something else is their longevity. Most flowers actually last a few weeks, except for roses. On a bad day, they may start to wither in just a couple of days, along with your $100 invested in that short lived bouquet. I mean, nothing says “forever and ever” like a gift that dies off and falls apart after three days. Sweet!

If that wasn’t bad enough, roses are also associated with a series of diseases. Fortunately (well, I guess not for them), the ones most likely to encounter them are the growers and florists. As customers, the only disease you will have to face after purchasing a dozen of roses is the barrage of reproof from your significant other over your poor gift choices.

4. Emotional Disaster

Next time you arrange your roses, think of all the tears that were invested in getting them into your vase. Halloween pumpkin sales and Christmas tinsel sales are nothing compared to flower sales near or on Valentine’s Day. Orders for flowers start piling up months ahead of the holiday, and with so many demands, there are bound to be some mistakes too. Unfortunately, we are fickle and impatient creatures, so it’s practically impossible to find a customer who will understand that you accidentally delivered them a bouquet of daffodils with a love message from a strange man named Bob. This often leaves florists depressed and extremely stressed, so it’s no easy business.

5. Awkward Deliveries

I’m sure all of this sounds at least a tiny bit hilarious from the sidelines, but try putting yourself in the place of the poor delivery man or florist who has to make it rain rose petals over the heads of a divorced couple. Although flower shops these days hire companies to bring the flowers to our doorsteps, there are some florists who still have to do the deliveries themselves. Regardless of which kind it is, we feel sorry for them. It’s not easy bringing a bouquet that was ordered before a husband’s death, to the widow, and cheerfully chime, “Harry will see you tonight!”

The life of a florist in the heart of the “love season” is tough. They have to deal with keeping secrets, balancing tons of orders of the oddest caliber and, to top it all, they have to make sure they won’t spend the rest of the month in hospital because of stress and rose diseases. Either way, we need to appreciate them more, and acknowledge all the effort and the 5 Truths About Your Valentine’s Day Roses that are hidden in our overpriced tokens of affection.